Health hubs under review

The health department has decided to form six teams of observers to keep tabs on functioning and development activities at state-run medical colleges and hospitals.

The department had recently carried out a review of of all six government-run medical colleges in the state.

Senior health officers said each team would be entrusted with the task of functioning of a specific health hub.

“We carried out a review of the condition of medical colleges and want to fill up the gaps in terms of facilities and manpower. Officials of the medical colleges were urged to come up with their presentation based on which we have prepared an outline of short-term and long-term tasks that need to be completed,” said health department principal secretary Vyasji.

R.P. Ojha, the additional health secretary, said each team would comprise an officer in the rank of joint-secretary and another from the health directorate. During the review meetings that were conducted individually for all medical colleges over the past one week, institutions reportedly demanded about 600 doctors/medical teachers and other resources.

The health hubs also gave presentations on the services, facilities and amenities that they lacked and needed to upgrade. “While patients at the hospitals have increased manifold in the past few decades, the number of beds and doctors have remained almost same. This has hampered medicare facilities. There are numerous problems that can be solved at the hospital administration level and they will be followed up by the inspection teams,” Ojha said.

The largest medical college of the state, Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), in its presentation highlighted that lack of proper infrastructure, manpower and resources have resulted in poor delivery system.

In a department-wise presentation, PMCH authorities pointed out that even though the central emergency of the hospital has 100 beds, 400 to 500 patients are admitted daily on an average. “There are no basic equipment like cardiac monitor, defibrillator or vacuum supply in any of the beds. Mostly, medicines are given to the patients at the nursing stations and not on their beds, causing them inconvenience,” said a senior PMCH official who took part in the meeting.

He added: “In the intensive care unit (ICU), there are just 74 beds while it should be about 200 according to norms which recommend 10 to 15 per cent of total beds in the hospital. The situation is no better in neo-natal ICU where two to three babies are kept on the same bed.”

Authorities pointed out the poor condition of sanitation and hygiene in the hospital and the haphazard way in which wards were laid out. The matter of security lapses in the hospital also came up for discussion, which has led to frequent clashes between junior doctors and attendants of patients in recent times. During their meeting , Nalanda Medical College and Hospital authorities were asked to improve the situation of hostels meant for MBBS, postgraduate and nursing students.

On Tuesday, during a review meeting of Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital, officials demanded additional 90 doctors to run the hospital better. Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital, Gaya, has made a demand for at least 141 doctors in the medical teacher cadre on an urgent basis.